M
DSR 11C
HONG KONG AND THE FALKLAND ISLANDS CRISIS
GENERAL REPLY TO QUESTIONS IN VEIN OF FALKLANDS/HONG KONG
COMPARISON:
There is no parallel to be drawn between the cases of the
Falklands and Hong Kong.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (if pressed on specific points):
Q. What is the legal basis of the British position in
Hong Kong?
A.
The New Territories are leased and all other areas
of the Territory ceded to the United Kingdom. The
relevant Treaties are the second Convention of Peking
signed on 9 June 1898, the Treaty of Nanking, signed
on 29 August 1842 and the first Convention of Peking,
signed on 24 October 1860.
Q.
A.
Is sovereignty negotiable?
A purely hypothetical question; premature to speculate.
Supplementaries on sovereignty:
A.
The present practical arrangemetns for administering
the Territory have the concurrence of the Chinese and
British Governments and are working well.
Q. Does HMG intend to stand by its commitment to Hong
Kong and its people?
A.
Yes.
Ministers have on many occasions made clear that
our constitutional responsibility to Hong Kong and its
people remains undiminished.
/2.